Personal connections were forged and stories of bravery in the midst of wartime hardships were shared among old and new friends Monday during West Liberty’s Purple Heart recipient celebration at the Opera House, located at the second floor of the town hall.
The event hosted on Memorial Day was the continuation of the Village of West Liberty’s permanent Purple Heart veteran tribute, which was dedicated in October at Veteran’s Park, with 14 recipients honored at that time.
Monday, eight additional individuals were honored as Purple Heart recipients past and present, whose names also have been inscribed in the stonework at Veteran’s Park.
Each of the 22 total recipients, both living and deceased, are from the 43357 zip code — recognizing those who reside in and around West Liberty, Mayor Jill McKelvey explained.
McKelvey related that the original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington – then the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army – on Aug. 7, 1782. The Badge of Military Merit was only awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers by Washington himself.
Washington authorized his subordinate officers to issue Badges of Merit as appropriate.
Although never abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again officially until after World War I.
Now this distinguished United States military decoration is awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917.
One of the eight West Liberty Purple Heart individuals recognized Monday was Donald “Anthony” Harris, a U.S. Army sergeant who served from 2006 to 2012 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
A 2005 West Liberty-Salem High School graduate, Sgt. Harris said he entered the Army after high school and was deployed to Iraq from October 2008 to November 2009.
Oct. 1, 2009, he was injured in Iraq when his unit was attacked by indirect fire and a bomb exploded.
“I took shrapnel to my leg and then spent about two weeks in the hospital,” Sgt. Harris said. “The surgeon there gave me the choice to either go to a hospital in Germany or to go home with my unit. I choose to come home.”
After returning home, Sgt. Harris said he went to the VA Hospital to have his stitches removed and also completed some physical therapy. However, he related that one of the most difficult parts of his injury was the healing mentally from the trauma.
Now married to his wife, Morgan, the couple are the parents of three daughters, twins Aubrey and Sophia, 14, and Samantha, 16. The Purple Heart honoree now serves in the supervisory role of captain at the Madison Correctional Institution.
In addition to Sgt. Harris, the new Purple Heart recipients who have been added to the site, with their award year(s), include:
• Glen V. Davidson, U.S. Army PFC, April 1945.
• Ronald Downs, U.S. Army PFC, Aug. 12, 1969, and Sept. 6, 1969.
• Tim Heinlen, U.S. Army Sergeant, April 1, 1971.
• Wayne Hughes Jr., U.S. Army PFC, June 1945.
• James W. Knoff, U.S. Army PFC, May 11, 1945, and 1945.
• Shawn R. Miller, Marine Corps E4, Aug. 30, 2006.
• William M. Piatt, U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant, 1942 and 1944.
All of the West Liberty Purple Heart honorees and their families were invited to attend the event and set up tables with their military honors and memorabilia for themselves or their loved ones.
Margaret Piatt accepted her late father 1st Lt. Piatt’s award from the village, and enjoyed chatting with others at the event and showing them her father’s military items, including his transcribed letters sent home from World War II.
Sue Rupert Hostetler, who had known 1st Lt. Piatt, and her daughter, Jayne Griffith, stopped to talk with Margaret, and shared about Sue’s previous time serving as a tour guide at the Piatt Castles.
Sue’s two brothers, U.S. Army sergeants Richard Rupert and William Rupert, each were fellow Purple Heart recipients, who received their awards in 1944. She also had two other brothers who served in the military as well.
Keith Knoff of Bellefontaine also accepted his late father’s recognition. He said James W. Knoff was a World War II veteran, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 86. Keith noted that he is honored to have his father’s war memorabilia, including two of his uniforms, which he had on display.
Aug. 7 of every year is recognized as “National Purple Heart Day.” The village will continue to recognize all 43357 Purple Heart Veterans who are found in the future during a ceremony on this day.
In addition, West Liberty is seeking contact information for all 43357 veterans for other upcoming events, including an upcoming June 14 Flag Day gathering.
Send information to: West Liberty Veterans Attn; Sherry Barger, P.O. Box 187, West Liberty, 43357; or e-mail s.barger or call (937) 465-2716. Include name, home address, phone number, e-mail address, branch of service, rank and service years.
All of the West Liberty Purple Heart veterans are listed at www.mywestliberty.com, along with personal stories recorded by Berry Digital Solutions.